


stay close, hold steady

by biannabethchase (divineauthor)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Break Up, Canon Compliant, F/M, Marriage, POV Third Person, Poseidon (Percy Jackson) is a Good Parent, Post-Break Up, Pre-Canon, Sally Jackson is a Good Parent, i actually dont know how to tag this tbh, this is mostly me just loving sally jackson through poseidon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 17:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17923004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divineauthor/pseuds/biannabethchase
Summary: Poseidon never understood human marriages. He never understood how these mortals could resign themselves to another being for their pathetically short lives when they could live their lives to the fullest, explore the world, fall in love over and over again. He had never thought differently, never changed his attitude, that was until he met Sally Jackson.—•—Poseidon and the three times he associated the word ‘marriage’ with Sally.





	stay close, hold steady

**Author's Note:**

> ok so ellie inspired me bcs she was talking about the family dynamic between sally, poseidon, and percy, so i just wanted to write a canon-compliant fic that's honestly so self-indulgent. i just love sally jackson and i love the idea behind sally and poseidon falling in love and poseidon being completely enamored with her. i'd like to thank anyone and everyone who loved the idea!!! pls excuse any and all typos that's my fault and if any of the canon stuff is wrong?? im doing this by memory tbh hjsdgfhjsd. anyway !!! hope u enjoy :D
> 
> title from: niall horan's “the tide”

Poseidon never understood human marriages. He never understood how these mortals could resign themselves to another being for their pathetically short lives when they could live their lives to the fullest, explore the world, fall in love over and over again. Divine marriages were one thing, a loosely held bond to another deity that never seemed as strong as the power that flowed through the ichor in their veins. Very few godly marriages were ever so devoted and filled with unconditional love, so Poseidon never bothered with truly immersing himself in his marriage. Amphitrite was his wife, a caring goddess in his realm, but he had lovers outside of her (much to her displeasure). Countless of women, countless of children, and he thought his immortal life was an adventure in and of itself.

Poseidon never thought differently, never changed his attitude, that was until he met Sally Jackson. This woman, so humble and so human, had welcomed him with her soft eyes that changed with the sea and he had found a home in her. He had found a home in her eyes, in her lips, in the fragile heartbeat in her chest. Then all of a sudden, Poseidon was terrified, frightened because she was  _mortal_ and he decidedly wasn’t. Eons had passed, but she was the one thing that he knew in his soul that he would never forget her. Poseidon let thoughts of prophecies and duties fall away, knowing his wife would rule in his stead without question.

But then at the end of summer, Sally became pregnant and it was probably the best and worst feeling he had felt in centuries. The woman he loved so fiercely was having his child, a product of their love for one another and Poseidon was overjoyed because his child, his son (he could tell, he could always tell), was a part of Sally and that would make him the sweetest child he had ever had. The other half of his mind raged with heartache and dread, knowing he had broken the pact, knowing his son, their son, could be the puppet of the prophecy that could ruin them all.

Poseidon didn’t want his son to die, so he confessed to Sally about his immortality, about the hunted life of a demigod, the dangers of being the parent of one. But Sally said nothing, just held his hand and wiped away the stray tear on his tanned face, and said, “I’m not exactly surprised.”

Poseidon’s eyes snapped up to meet hers, a dark blue now, like the ocean behind them, sad and weary. He said breathlessly, “Of course... you have the Sight. You’re one of a kind, Sally Jackson.”

Sally grinned at him and pulled him into a kiss. “Yes, I do. I never knew it was called Sight. But regardless of that, you are not the best at being human, Poseidon. First of all, no one has the name Poseidon and spends as much time by the sea as you do. And second of all—” Her smile softened into something fond. “— I could feel the way you lean into the sea, the way the sea leans into you. I don’t need any Sight to know that the water is your home.”

And even though her words were true, Poseidon felt the words _you’re my home too_ on the tip of his tongue. It stayed there, waiting and waiting and waiting, but she kept on going. She said, “Poseidon, our child will know dangers I’ve never even seen, but they’ll be okay. Do you know why? Because you’re a part of them just as much as I am. I’ll protect them with everything I am.“

Poseidon noticed that she never mentioned that he wouldn’t protect his son and he felt the bubble of pride fizzle at her last words. Sally noticed his change in mood, maybe with the way the sea changed with him, forever loyal, forever eternal.

“My love,” she started, bittersweet recognition in her eyes, “I’ve always known I was never truly yours. The sea calls to you and I’m just a human. My life will pass by in the blink of an eye for you. You have duties, you can’t always be here, with me, with our child. I know you love me, love us, but we could never be together forever.”

 _But we can,_  he thought desperately. The sea raged on the shore, beating against the rocky sand endlessly. He pulled her into his arms and he kissed her like he was a human and she was the goddess who ensnared him in her grace. Breaths later, he opened his eyes and said, “Marry me, Sally.”

“I can’t,” she cried. “You know I can’t.”

“You’re a queen amongst women,” he said, then pulled a plan out of his head with stunning speed. “You can live with me in the sea. You’ll be safe, our son will be safe. I can protect the both of you. I can train him. I can have my other sons train him. He’ll be a prodigy by the time he could read.”

“Our son,” she said, a little awed at the realization, but she quickly shook her head. “No, my love. I’m not meant to live forever. I _want_ to live a human life. I _want_ our son to have that too. I don’t want him to grow up ready for war. And maybe he’ll have to, maybe he’ll need to fight, but as long as I’m alive, I will ensure he has a normal life for as long as I can manage. If I want my life to mean something, I have to live it for myself and for him. I can’t have you take care of us forever.”

Poseidon shook his head, mind wracked with grief over Sally’s words. He felt the keen loss of a family that would never be fulfilled to its fullest potential and buried his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in the smell of sugar and sea salt.

He murmured, “Then you know that once he’s born—“

“Perseus. Percy. Percy Jackson. The only hero that doesn’t have a tragic ending. I know he was Zeus’ son, but I want that for him. A good life,” she interrupted, sudden, her eyes sharp. It was an interesting choice for their unborn child, but it fit. Poseidon could tell there was more to her reasoning, but he didn’t think about it.

“Percy.” He let the nickname sit on his tongue and then he smiled sadly. “Percy Jackson. I’ll have to leave once he’s born, Sally. I have broken a pact between my brothers and I. They would come for him if I stay.”

His gaze dropped down to her stomach, still the same size as it was the day before. He pressed his lips to her belly, making her giggle and squirm until she was breathless with laughter. The most beautiful woman on earth, he was sure of it. She said, “I know.”

And that was it. That was it.

* * *

 Shortly before Percy was born, he had left Sally with a heavy heart, as if the weight of all the seas had pressed down upon him. He let her go to caress her cheek, warm and flushed, and she moved her head slightly to kiss his palm. They said no words, but he heard the goodbye, the last _I love you_ in her chaste kiss. It had pained him much more than he could imagine.

Poseidon had done a fairly good job of staying away, but he slipped. Once. He was in Olympus for a meeting and he _knew_ Sally and Percy had moved back to New York City. He couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing them once more, so he slipped into their apartment that was unbearably small and cramped. He knew he was disobeying Zeus’ law, but he was never one to follow rules. The sea never did like to be restrained.

Percy laid there in his crib, asleep, and so small. His brown skin was warm to the touch when Poseidon had reached out to fix the soft strands of hair on his forehead. He smiled, warm and proud. He didn’t see Percy opening his eyes because soft footsteps padded towards where he was. But in a second, he was gone.

He hadn’t slipped up again for a few more years until he got news of Sally’s new fiancé. When he had heard, he could admit he wallowed on his throne for a good few days. Even Triton had asked if he was alright, which snapped him out of his morose mood. It was already bad enough that he had left shortly before she went into labor, but after a quick look into her intended husband’s background, he couldn’t take it. The day of their marriage, he waited outside the court until they had departed: Sally with a forced grin, Percy bouncing on the balls of his feet, and _Gabe Ugliano_ scowling at the pair.

“Percy deserves to have a fun day after waiting around for that long,” Sally said, ruffling Percy’s hair.

Gabe grunted. _Di immortales,_ that man’s stench was horrid. He also sounded like the pig he was. “Don’t wait too long. I want dinner by the time I get home after work.”

“Of course,” she said. Her tone was light, but Poseidon knew that she was already incredibly tired. Gabe grunted one last time and walked away. No goodbye to his new wife or to his new son. Poseidon looked between the two: Percy and Sally, then Gabe. He wanted to pummel Gabe into smithereens, drown him in his realm, but he still ached to be with Sally. So he followed his heart and watched them from afar.

They went to get ice cream and Poseidon couldn’t help but smile at their interactions, so loving and so pure. He could practically feel the love radiate from them, even without Aphrodite’s powers. Percy had made a mess of his ice cream on his face and Sally handed him a napkin, laughing the way she did when Poseidon had a particularly bad joke. Percy grinned toothily at her, bright eyed and all smiles, and wiped his face dramatically.

 _This_ is what Sally wanted, Poseidon could tell. Deep down he knew Percy would never have had the childhood he was having. He would’ve been trained in diplomacy and war tactics because Poseidon was _scared_ for his son. The boy who would live to fulfill the prophecy that could befall Olympus. He would live with the knowledge and it would kill him. And maybe Percy wouldn’t have the skill if he lived with him, but he would have Sally’s heart, he will have her heart. _That alone,_  Poseidon thought, _just that alone could save us all_.

Percy and Sally had walked to the park and she let him roam around, even though her eyes were fixed on him. She said, “You can stop lurking now, Poseidon. He won’t see you, he’s too busy on the slides.”

Poseidon felt a shock run through him, but he smiled. Sally Jackson, one of a kind as always. He sat down on the bench, just centimeters away from her. “I can never slip anything by you, can I?”

“Never,” she said, tucking a loose strand of her brown hair away. Her eyes never left Percy, but he felt her small palm hold his hand. “You know why I married him, married Gabe.”

Poseidon squeezed her palm. “I could smell him from miles away. He will protect Percy from the monsters until Percy grows older.” There was a beat as they both watched as Percy’s laugh settled into their bones. “Sally… you are a queen amongst women. The lengths you go to protect your own— it should surprise me, but you have always had such a soft heart. I just wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

“That’s the thing about us humans, my love,” she said, finally meeting his gaze. Her eyes were the loveliest shade of the sea, his favorite in fact. She was still his second home away from home after all these years. “Is that we burn so brightly, we love so deeply because we don’t have much time here. I would do anything for Percy. If it means marrying a man as vile as Gabe to give Percy the childhood he deserves, then I will gladly do it for the rest of my life.”

Poseidon brought their entwined hands up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. She still tasted of sugar and sea-salt.

“He asked me about you,” Sally continued, eyes warm, “I didn’t know what to say, so I told him most of the truth: that you are an important man, that we fell in love that summer years ago and had to keep it a secret, and…”

“And?”

“That you were lost at sea,” she finished, misty eyed.

“You don’t have to do this, Sally,” Poseidon said, thumbing away a stray tear. “He could go to Camp Half-Blood. It’s protected all year round. You don’t have to be married to that man. I can provide for you in any way you wish, just ask.”

“I can’t, my love. I can’t lose Percy when I already lost you,” said Sally, sniffling. She tried to smile, but her attempt was half-hearted at best. He hated that she felt this way, but he would abide by her wishes. It was the least he could do.

Percy, in the meantime, had gotten on the swing set and pumped his legs hard, reaching new heights. But maybe it was because of his blood, or the fact that Poseidon was near, that when Percy had reached a great height, he rolled onto the sand, as if a swift wind had caught him in the stomach. It was a quick second before Percy had screamed out, _“Mom!”_ and Sally had hastily wiped away her tears and shot him a look filled with resignation before she rushed to his side.

Poseidon looked up at the sky and cursed his brother’s name, feeling vindicated when he heard the faint sound of thunder on an otherwise cloudy free day. He grimaced, then disappeared.  

* * *

When Poseidon received the news of Sally’s new marriage to Paul Blofis, he was years late. Too many years in fact. He had met the man previously, a very brief if not amusing interaction, but he was focused on Percy’s fifteenth birthday and giving him his present. He never stopped to think about his relations with Sally. But when Percy had visited him, years after the war, he usually started talking about his life, how he was doing, what antics the other demigods were up to.

Poseidon had given him his explicit permission that he could visit him whenever he wanted and that if Zeus did or said anything, he could come into his realm and tell that to his face. Percy was unwilling the first few months, still a little awkward around him, but when human-Apollo came to him and asked for his help, he took a trip to Poseidon to complain, his nose clogged up and voice croaky. Poseidon was half-offended, but he had laughed so loudly the throne room shook with its force.

After that, Percy had taken him up on his offer, coming around monthly, and Poseidon was secretly thrilled. His son was one of his best joys in his life and he relished in their interactions. But now during one of Percy’s visits, that was when he spilled the, albeit old, news.

Percy was lounging in the water, laying on his back. Poseidon had moved them from the stiff throne room to a more comforting room in the beginning. (He didn’t feel the need to tell him that he ordered the construction of the room to make it feel like his and Sally’s cabin at Montauk shortly after Percy was born.) He always chose his human form most known to Percy and Sally, decked in his favorite Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. Percy continued, “Mom and Paul were thinking about hiring a nanny for Estelle, but I’m pretty much there most of the time, so I don’t think they need to—”

“Estelle?” Poseidon jolted. There was a mix of pride and bittersweet happiness swirling like a whirlpool in his mind. Sally had a child, one born out of her love of someone else.

“Yeah?” Percy said, sitting up and looking at him with an odd expression. “Mom and Paul got married a couple of months after you visited me after my fifteenth birthday. They had Estelle while I was… well, yeah, anyway she’s still a baby. You do remember Paul, right? I’m pretty sure you met him that day. I really thought I told you about them.”

“Yes,” he replied, voice a little distant. He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “Perhaps we both forgot.”

Percy, satisfied with his answer, had continued to tell his story. Poseidon felt a little guilty not being able to pay as much attention as he wanted to, but the new knowledge of Sally’s marriage and child had shaken him greatly.

When Percy stood up to leave, he hugged him tightly and bounded off. Poseidon smiled and the moment he was gone, he made arrangements to go up to the surface.

It was only a few short days later when Poseidon stood outside the door of Sally’s apartment and knocked. He heard a warm, familiar voice shout, “I’ll get it!” before Sally opened the door, baby Estelle on her hips and an easy grin on her lips. Poseidon gazed at her softly and smiled. She was still as beautiful as the day the met. Motherhood always seemed to suit her well.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, shocked by his sudden presence, “Poseidon? Hi? What are you doing here? Percy’s not here right now.”

“I know,” he said, “I just wanted to visit you. You look as gorgeous as ever.”

Sally flushed a pretty, sunset pink and he tamped down the urge to grin widely. The happy twinkle in his eyes were bright though. She said, “Well, come in. I was just in the middle of baking cookies.”

He walked through the door, breathing in the scent of freshly baked goods, and said, “Is that the famous baby Estelle Blofis I’ve been hearing about?”

Estelle, who was looking intently at Poseidon’s shirt, had looked up at the mention of her name. She grinned, toothless and bright. Sally’s lips quirked up. “Yes, she is. I’m guessing Percy told you about her.”

“Yes,” he said, sitting down on the counter stool and watching Sally flit around the kitchen. “She takes after you.”

The image of her with Estelle still on her hip made him remember his fantasies, the ones he kept under tight lock in his chest, where Sally said yes and she stayed with him. In his mind, this was what she would look like, breathtaking, with a baby Percy in her arms. But that fantasy was long gone, a relic of a forgotten past, just like he was. If he was being honest, Sally could ask to stay with him forever and he would still do it in a heartbeat, but he knew she would never do it, not with a new baby, not with a new husband.

“She has her father’s eyes,” Sally said, coming closer to him and shooting him a smile. “Apparently, I can never pass that trait down to any of my children.”

Poseidon wouldn’t know what to do if Sally had a child with her eyes, the eyes that he found a home in. He was secretly glad that there would only ever be one person with them. But he still said, “That’s a shame. You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve seen. They remind me of the—”

“Sea,” she finished, always a step ahead of him. She was still blushing, but she shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “Still flirting, Poseidon? I’m a married woman now.”

Her words were accusatory, but her tone was light. He smiled sheepishly at her. “How is Mr. Blowfish?”

“You and Percy are too much alike,” Sally said, narrowing her eyes at him playfully. “He’s grading papers in the other room.”

“Would he mind if I stopped by to say hello?” Poseidon asked, gesturing towards the rest of the apartment.

She stared at him intently for a few moments before she spoke, “No, he could use a break. It’s the first door on the left.”

Poseidon gave her a small nod and followed her instructions. He heard the faint sound of music from the room and he raised his hand and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Paul opened it the door and gaped at him.

Poseidon bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. Paul wasn’t the type of man Poseidon envisioned being married to Sally, but that partially due to the fact that he saw himself in the role and never allowed his mind to replace it with another man. Gabe had never truly been her husband, but Paul looked like a good man, a decent man. In truth, he looked like the perfect human husband for Sally.

“Poseidon?” Paul said, a little incredulous. “Is anything wrong with Percy?”

“No.” He was glad for his concern. “I just wanted to extend my congratulations on your marriage and your child. I admit, I’m a little late, but I was… unaware of it until now.”

“Thank you,” said Paul, even though he still sounded confused at his presence.

Poseidon spoke, trying to find the words, “You couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful woman to marry.”

Apparently, that was all Paul needed to hear because his eyes were filled with acknowledgement. He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at him with an earnest look in his eyes. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”

Paul grinned and Poseidon returned the smile with a smaller one of his own. He looked at the clock for a moment and said, “Take care of her, Paul.”

“I will. She’ll take care of me as well. That’s the benefit of marriage. We help each other,” Paul said, then offered his hand for Poseidon to shake. He took it easily. “Take care of yourself too, Poseidon.”

His only response was a nod before he left Paul back to his work. Estelle was in a familiar crib, crawling around in her space when Sally exited the kitchen. She stopped, wiping a hand on a hand towel, before throwing it over her shoulder. “Duty calls?”

“Unfortunately,” he answered. He fumbled around his pocket until he pulled out a small blowfish plush toy he bought before he came over. He handed it over to her and place it in her hands. He resisted the urge to kept his touch there for longer than necessary, to take her hand and give her one last kiss. It was a test of his restraint when he didn’t. “Give this to her? It’s my late present.”

“I will,” she said. “Don’t be a stranger, Poseidon. You’re always welcomed here.”

He only nodded, not wanting to stay with her any longer knowing he would never be able to kiss her again, then turned for the door. He said, “Goodbye, Sally Jackson.”

And then he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed !!!! send me prompts on my [tumblr](http://biannabethchase.tumblr.com/) if you want !!


End file.
